Arizona case among first for federal appeals court to live stream

SAN FRANCISCO — A federal appeals court that meets in San Francisco and
other Western cities will soon stream some of its hearings live over the
Internet, the court announced on Monday.

The 9th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals said it plans to broadcast its en banc
proceedings starting with five cases, including an Arizona sex-abuse conviction, scheduled for oral arguments between
Dec. 9 and 11. It is believed to be the first time a federal appellate court
will broadcast live video of a proceeding, said court spokesman David Madden.

An en banc court is used to resolve legal conflicts between 9th Circuit judges
that are deemed of great importance. The court hears about 20 such cases a year.

“The Ninth Circuit has a long history of using advances in technology to make
the court more accessible and transparent,” 9th Circuit Chief Judge Alex
Kozinski said in a statement. “Video streaming is a way to open the court’s
doors even wider so that more people can see and hear what transpires in the
courtroom, particularly in regard to some of our most important cases.”

The court posts video of en banc proceedings online after the
hearing. It is also one of only two federal appellate courts to allow news
cameras in the courtroom, according to Madden.

The court has granted more than 350 media requests for video and photo coverage
since the early 1990s, the court said in its news release.

The U.S. Supreme Court does not allow cameras in the courtroom, or live stream
or post video footage of hearings. It does post audio recordings after hearings,
Madden said.

The first case scheduled to be broadcast live by the 9th Circuit involves a
lawsuit against the state of California over a law that requires police to
collect the DNA of any adult arrested on suspicion of committing a felony. The
plaintiffs are appealing a district court’s decision to deny them a preliminary
injunction.